The present invention relates generally to techniques for assessing and improving processing of temporal information in people. More particularly, the present invention relates to improved techniques for training people to improve reading and/or language skills.
Temporal processing relates to the ability of a person to process time-varying information. Speech is an example of temporal information since the information in speech is conveyed via time-varying sound waves to be received by the listener though the auditory sense. In people, it has been found that the ability to properly process temporal information is crucial to the development of many important skills such as speech, language, learning, and the like.
Although there exist many different theories about how the brain receives and processes information, one popular theory suggests that in the adult human, the brain is essentially hard-wired and little, if any, improvement could be achieved by training the brain in certain basic tasks, e.g., training the brain to process temporal information at an improved rate and/or accuracy. In accordance with this theory, temporal processing cannot be learned or improved through training.
On the one hand, there is little information in the art on the theoretical underpinnings pertaining to improvement of temporal processing through training. On the other hand, there is also little discussion in the art pertaining to how training may be structured to achieve improvement in temporal processing. In particular, little has been discussed by way of tailoring temporal processing training to achieve improvement in a specific area, e.g., in the processing of auditory information as it relates speech processing. By way of example, although a person may be deficient in general in the processing of a certain type of temporal information, e.g., auditory information, it is known that the time scale pertaining to speech or language processing is fairly narrow, e.g., between about 0 millisecond and 1000 milliseconds. Yet, there is no discussion in the art on how temporal processing training may be tailored specifically to maximize improvement in the processing of speech and language (if improvement in speech processing is desired).
As another example, although the processing of speech and language relates to the auditory sense, temporal data in the time scale relevant for speech processing may be received by a human via many different modalities (i.e., through the different senses such as touch, visual, haptic, or the like). Yet there is no discussion in the art on whether modalities other than auditory may be employed to advantage in temporal processing training to improve speech development. Generally, little information exists on whether training in one or more modalities may lead to improvement in other modalities.
The invention relates, in one embodiment, to a computer-implemented method for improving temporal processing of a first type of information in human. The first type of information pertains to one of touch, auditory, and visual. The computer-implemented method includes providing a computer, and providing a stimuli generator coupled to the computer. The stimuli generator providing, responsive to control signals from the computer, first stimuli, the first stimuli being a different one of the touch, auditory, and visual. The computer-implemented method further includes applying the first stimuli from the stimuli generator to the human. The first stimuli are produced around a plurality of time scales to facilitate improvement in the temporal processing of the first type of information around the plurality of time scales.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a computer-implemented method for improving temporal processing of auditory information in human. The method includes providing a computer, and providing a stimuli generator coupled to the computer. The stimuli generator providing, responsive to control signals from the computer, touch stimuli. The method further includes applying the touch stimuli from the stimuli generator to the human. The touch stimuli are produced around a plurality of time scales to facilitate improvement in the temporal processing of the auditory information around the plurality of time scales.
In yet another embodiment, the invention relates to a computer readable medium containing computer readable instructions for facilitating improvement of temporal processing of auditory information in human. The computer-readable medium includes computer readable instructions for iteratively administering a touch test to the human, which include computer readable instructions for generating, using a stimuli generator coupled to a computer, touch stimuli. The touch stimuli are configured to be applied to the human and produced around a plurality of time scales to facilitate improvement in the temporal processing of the auditory information around the plurality of time scales. There are further included computer readable instructions for receiving at the computer a response to the touch stimuli from the human; and computer readable instructions for evaluating whether the response is accurate.
These and other features of the present invention will be described in more detail below in the detailed description of the invention and in conjunction with the following figures.